Aaron went crazy

Man accused of returning to house despite court order
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Lisa Coryell
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
TRENTON -- A city man accused of stealing from his landlady has been arrested for returning to the woman's home after a judge ordered him to stay away from her, prosecutors said Thursday.

Aaron Martin, 42, was arrested Tuesday, said Casey DeBlasio, a spokeswoman for the Mercer County prosecutor's office. He was arrested in the Ingham Avenue home he shares with Annie May Hoagland, 87.

Martin's presence in Hoagland's home violated a no-contact order he was under following his November arrest for allegedly stealing $9,250 from her, DeBlasio said.

"He was released on his own recognizance with a condition that he have no contact with the victim," DeBlasio said yesterday.

Martin is charged with theft for allegedly writing 20 checks to himself from Hoagland's bank account, DeBlasio said.

He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Monday for a bail review.

Last month, neighbors of Hoagland held a community meeting and accused Martin of tormenting them during the year he had been renting from her.

They accused him of walking naked on the roof, detonating firecrackers in the mailbox and urinating on the front porch of Hoagland's home and the homes of neighbors.

In May, Martin was charged with simple assault for allegedly spraying mace in the face of a neighbor who brought a plate of food to Hoagland, according to neighbors and police reports.

At the neighborhood meeting, neighbors demanded that city officials intervene in the situation.

Since the meeting, which was chronicled in a story in The Times, a caseworker with the Mercer County Board of Social Services has been assigned to check on Hoagland, DeBlasio said.